Friday May 9th

Today is our last day. We get up and slowly break camp. We are excited to be leaving to see our families again and yet sad to be leaving. I know you all know what I’m talking about. Joe and I take our time eating, packing and getting prepared to leave. Our first stop will be to take Joe to see the truck and artifacts in the SE bay of Fourtown.

As we pack, the first people we have seen since the day we enter appear heading up Fourtown Lake. They pass our site and take a left obviously headed for Boot. As we would see shortly they would appreciate our work on their way out. Too bad we did not get to the portages out of Fourtown before they came in.

Joe and I make a short, lazy paddle over to the site of the truck and other logging era artifacts. We spend time looking at the truck bed and other stuff and decide to walk the rail bed but we don’t go all the way to Horse or beyond. It is obvious based on where the tree stumps are cut off that snowmobilers use this as a winter highway to Basswood. There are stumps that are cut off about 6-9” above the ground. There are also numerous camp spots with precut piles of wood and the tell tale signs of human use. There are even some of the old rail ties that are above the ground that show signs of snowmobile tread and studs. We head back and decide it is time to head out for Mudro and the EP.

First we have those three nasty little portages to cross and clear. With the high water the first portage leaves little choice but to climb the cliff and portage across. There is not much clearing to do on this portage but we have some nipping and pulling of some dead stuff off the trail. A short paddle and we are on to portage number two, affectionately called by some as the Mule portage. Up the hill we go huffing and puffing and find one deadfall, no-make that two, no make that three deadfalls to clear. This is the toughest clearing we have had to do on the entire trip and one of the deadfalls we do not dare touch due to the stress built up in the tree based on how it is hanging down the cliff. We clear one and cut the other off and push it back into the woods. I slip doing this and take a nice chunk of flesh off my palm. This is the first real injury of the trip which we must thank the lord for watching over us.

We get to the Beaver dam and there are more people. It is getting busier as we go along with frequent human sightings now, but it is what we had expected. One more portage requiring a little clearing and we are done with the portages out of Fourtown and enter Mudro Lake. The landing here is one of the trickier ones with high water and rocks. We get in and paddle away headed over to Picket Creek and the way to the final portage.

We paddle past many other canoeists who wonder why we are leaving. When we tell them we saw no one for 7 days, battled ice and went through a PMA and are glad we made the effort I think they understand. Even though we did no fishing we had the time of our lives.

Picket creek goes by quickly and we get out at the short portage up to the parking lot. Usually this is where the portage dogs find you but there is no such welcoming committee today and no cold beer at the top of the trail. We stash Joe’s canoe off to the side and throw the packs in the van. I change footwear and we head for the Stuart EP parking lot. The short drive is done quickly and there is no other car but Joe’s Jeep in the Stuart parking lot when we get there. I thought that was very Ironic.

Joe says he is fine putting his canoe on top of his car on his own and I head for VNO to collect my mug from John and take a shower. I review the trip with John and go over all the details and conditions. Clean and refreshed I head for the Fall Lake campground to meet up with Cossack and his wife as they are up camping there. Along the way I call home and let them know I am fine and will be home about 11:00. I arrive at Fall Lake and Coss gets me a cold beer and we chat for a while before heading into Ely for dinner at the Ely Steak House with friends. It is a nice evening and a good meal and then it is time for me to head home. The drive home is tiring but I am excited to see the family and the dogs. I get home at 10:45 and quickly get to bed. Amazing how good cars eats and real beds feel but I am already wishing I was camped on the island on Stuart Lake tonight.